Project Time Management – processes required to ensure timely completion of the project

Time Management – In small projects Activity Definition, Sequencing, Resource Estimation, Duration Estimation and Schedule development are so tightly linked that they are viewed as single process.

Activity Definition – involves identifying and documenting the work that is planned to be performed. Here work packages are planned (decomposed) into schedule activities to provide basis for estimating, scheduling, executing, and monitoring and controlling the project work.

Its final output is schedule activity where as final output is deliverable in create WBS process.

It is done by the project team members responsible for the work packages.

Planning Component (TT used in Activity Definition)

Control account: above work package and below WBS. All the work effort performed within a control account is documented in a “control account plan”

Planning component: above work package but below control account

Decomposition (TT used in Activity Definition)

Involves sub dividing the Work Packages into smaller components called schedule activities.

[Start to Start; Start to Finish; Finish to Start; Finish to Finish]. Work is done during activity. Arrow indicates dependency.

No dummy, its used by most softwares.

Dependencies:

Mandatory or Hard logic: Often involve physical or technological limitations (based on the nature of work being done)

Discretionary: may also be called preferred logic, preferential logic, or soft logic. Soft: desirable and customary (based on experience). Preferential: preferred or mandated by a customer (also, need of the project sponsor) Defined by PM Team. It is documented so that can be exploited for the schedule compression. All above are based on past experience

External: Input needed from another project or source

Apply Leads and Lags – Lead allows acceleration of the successor activity, A lag direct a delay in Successor activity.

Activity Resource Estimation – Identifies when and what resources (person, equipment or material) required for a schedule activity and what quantities of each resources will be available. It is closely coordinated with Cost estimating process.

Schedule Management Plan (Input) – Development of Schedule Management Plan is part of Develop Project Management Plan Process. SMP is a subsidiary plan of PMP and may formal or informal, highly detailed or broadly framed depending on the project. This plan sets the format and establishes criteria for developing and controlling the project schedule.

Bottom Up Estimation (TT of Resource Estimation) – Estimation is done for lower level items and then aggregated.

Activity Duration Estimate – requires to estimate amount of work effort required, the assumed amount of resources to be applied and the number of work periods needed to complete the schedule activity is determined.

Analogous Estimation – Using actual duration of previous similar schedule activity. It is at the project level, generally given to PM from Management or Sponsor; uses historical information and Expert Judgment and it is a form of Top Down estimate.

Parametric Estimation – Quantity of Work * Productivity Rate – 1.Regression Analysis (Scatter Diagram) 2.Learning Curve. Results of Parametric Estimation can become heuristics. It is based on historical records.

Three Point Estimates – Program Evaluation and Review Technique (PERT) Three-Point Estimate = (O + 4M + P)/6 Where O is Optimistic, M is Most likely and P is Pessimistic standard deviation = (P – O)/6 variance = standard deviation2 (To add standard deviations: convert to variance then add; take the square root of the sum). Best method when you have no historical data for a similar task. Result is the 50% point (mean).The probability of completing a project at or later than its expected time is 50%

Reserve Analysis: Contingency reserve (known unknown) is for remaining risk after risk response planning and management reserve (unknown- unknown) is any extra amount of funds to be set aside to cover unforeseen risk. Cost baseline will include contingency reserve and cost budget will include management reserve. Contingency reserve is created as a part of contingency plan and used when identified (residual) risk as a part of active acceptance strategy, occurs.

Expert Judgment time reserve, Contingency Reserve or buffers as recognition of schedule risk. They can be % of the estimates.

Graphical Evaluation and Review Technique (GERT)—allows for probabilistic treatment of both network logic and activity duration estimates. It is a form of ADM (A Network Drawing Method) that allows loops between activities. The easiest example is when you have an activity to design a component and then test it. A network diagram drawing method that allows loops between tasks. It is a method of sequencing (e.g. a project requires redesign after completion of testing)

PM Role on estimating

Provide team with enough info to estimate

Set accuracy level for estimates

Do a sanity check

Prevent padding

Formulate reserve

Make sure assumption are recorded

Schedule development: difference between time estimate and schedule is that the schedule is calendar based.

Critical Path Method – Calculate Project Duration, Critical path length and Float. Critical path can have 0 or negative total float. Uses only one time estimates. Doesn’t consider risk as important as cost so it focuses on controlling cost and leaving schedule flexible. Uses only ADM (AOA) diagram

What if Scenario – Monte Carlo Analysis in which a distribution of possible activity duration is defined for each schedule activity and used to calculate a distribution of possible outcome for the total project. It helps to assess feasibility of the project schedule under adverse condition and in preparing contingency and response plans to overcome or mitigate the impact.

Applying calendars: identifying periods when work is allowed. Project calendar (affects all project activities like snowfall season no work can be planned) and Resource calendar affect a specific resource or category or resources like shift timings, planned vacations)

Schedule Compression Methods – occurs after activity duration estimating and before finalizing the schedule. Include Crashing – when you are worried about time, not so much about costs. Fast Track – activities that are done in sequence are done in parallel, involve increases risk and rework, it is done on discretionary dependencies. Should fast track tasks on the critical path (float = 0) in order to save time. Re-estimate should be done by reviewing risks.

Resource Leveling – Applied after Critical Path Method, Keep resource usage at constant level. Allows you to level the peaks and valleys of resource use from one month to another. Also know as resource based method and resource constrained schedule and produces resource limited schedule. Often results in a project duration that is longer than the preliminary schedule. Resource reallocation from non-critical to critical path activities is a common way to bring the schedule back, or as close as possible, to the originally intended overall duration. So 1. Schedule can slip 2. Cost increase.Reverse Resource allocation scheduling: based on finite and critical project resource (end date), in this case the resource is scheduled in reverse from the project ending date.

Critical Chain Method – deterministic and probabilistic approach. In lieu of managing the total float of network paths, the critical chain method focuses on managing the buffer activity durations and the resources applied to planned schedule activities.

Project schedule network diagram is built using non conservative/most likely estimates with required dependency and defines constraints. Each activity is schedule to occur as late as possible to meet end date.

Then Critical Path is calculate and

Then resource limited schedule is determined making a altered critical path.

Then add duration buffers that are non work schedule activities to maintain focus on the planned activity durations. Think of them as reserves from risk response planning.

Then planned activities are schedule to their latest possible planned start and finish dates.

Float / Slack – 1.Free 2. Total. A negative slack on the critical path means that the project is behind schedule. Free Float – amount of time a task can be delayed without delaying the early start of its successor. Total Float – amount of time that an activity may be delayed from early start without delaying the project finish date

“Start no earlier than” & “Finish no later than” – Respectively #1 and #2 most popular date constraint in project management software.

Monte Carlo Analysis – computer simulation of project outcomes using PERT estimates; result represented in S curve. Provides the ability to compute the probability of completing a project on a specific day. Can also be used to assess feasibility of schedule under adverse conditions (e,g., when a schedule constraint is identified)

Monte Carlo Analysis – 1. Probability of Completion and any specific day 2. Probability of Completion in amount of Cost 3.Probability of activity in critical path 4. Risk

Time Estimate – Non-Calendar Schedule – Calendar Based

Output Schedule development

Project network diagrams. Project network diagrams are schematic displays of the project’s activities and the logical relationships (dependencies) among them.

Hammock Activity – O/p of Schedule Development -> Bar Charts -> For Control and management communication, the broader more comprehensive summary activity called Hammock Activity is used between milestones or across multiple interdependent work packages.

Milestone Chart: Significant events; good for communicating status to top management.

Schedule development:

Work with stakeholder priorities

Look for alternative ways to complete the work

Look for impact on other projects

Meet with managers to negotiate for resources availability

Give a team to approve the schedule

Look at calendar estimates to see if they are feasible.

Compress the schedule

Adjust all the component of PMP

Simulate using monte carlo anal

Level resources

Conduct meetings and conversation to gain stakeholder and mgmt approval.

Schedule Control: part of ICC

Determining current status of the project schedule

Influencing the factors that create changes

Determining if schedule has changes

Managing actual changes as they occur

Schedule Baseline – the original, approved project schedule; should never be changed without approved Change request. Any approved change should be documented in writing. Should be created at the beginning of the project and used during the project to gauge (measure) overall project performance, not just schedule. The project Performance Measurement Baseline should generally change only in response to a scope or deliverable change.

Schedule Change Control System – defines procedures for changing the project schedule and includes the documentation, tracking systems, and approval levels required for authorizing schedule changes and part of Integrated Change Control Process.

Fragment Network – Portions of project schedule network diagram are often referred to as a Sub network or Fragment Network. Sub Network templates are useful when project has several identical or nearly identical deliverables.

Heuristics – rules of thumb

Near Critical Path – Path is close in duration to critical path, the close it is the more RISK project has.

Variance – Plan minus Actual

Lag – waiting time between two tasks (negative lead)

Resource Planning Tools

Responsibility Matrix

Identify who does what at what time/phase of the project,

Resource Spreadsheet

Quantifies how much work is needed from each resource during each time period

Resource Gantt Chart

Identify the periods of time (e.g. calendar date) when a particular resource is working on a particular task

Resource Histogram

(Resource Loading Chart)

Vertical bar chart showing the total number of resources needed during each time period

Progress Report – 50/50, 20/80, 0/100 – An Activity is considered X percent complete when it begins and gets credit of the last 100-X percent only when it is completed.